Evidence vs Metabase
Evidence and Metabase are both BI & dashboards tools. Evidence is aimed at developers, while Metabase is aimed at small businesses and developers. Metabase costs less, from $100/mo versus $2500/mo for Evidence. Both have a free plan.
| Pricing | Open source · $2500 | Open source · $100 |
| Starting price | $2500/mo | $100/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | 30 days | 14 days |
| Built for | Developers | Small businesses, Developers |
| Platforms | web | web |
| Country | CA · 2021 | US · 2015 |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose Evidence if
Analysts comfortable with code.
- Version-controlled reporting
- Beautiful output
- Developer workflow
Look elsewhere if: Business users wanting self-serve.
Choose Metabase if
Startups and mid-size companies wanting quick, affordable BI; developers embedding analytics.
- Free open-source edition is genuinely usable
- Easy for non-analysts
- Wide database support
Look elsewhere if: Enterprises needing advanced modeling and governance (Looker, Power BI).
Evidence vs Metabase pricing
Evidence
- Open source$0MIT-licensed framework, self-build (GitHub)
- Team$2,500/moUnlimited users, 20K AI credits/mo, Analytics Agent
- EnterpriseCustomAnnual contract, SSO, SCIM, embedding, self-deploy
Metabase
- Open Source$0Self-hosted, unlimited users
- Starter$100/mo$90/mo billed annually; 5 users, +$6/user
- Pro$575/mo$517.50/mo billed annually; 10 users, +$12/user; SSO, embedding
- EnterpriseCustomFrom $20,000/yr; dedicated success engineer
Evidence · Key features
- Markdown + SQL reports
- Components for charts and tables
- Git version control
- Static site builds
- Templated pages
- Cloud hosting
Cons
- Requires SQL and Markdown
- Not drag-and-drop
- Smaller community
Metabase · Key features
- Visual query builder plus native SQL editor
- Dashboards with filters, drill-through and subscriptions
- Alerts and scheduled email/Slack reports
- Models and metrics for governed self-serve
- Embedding (public, static, interactive SDK)
- Open source self-hosting or managed cloud
Cons
- Visualization options are basic
- Performance depends on your database
- Advanced permissions need Pro
Evidence vs Metabase: FAQ
Which is cheaper, Evidence or Metabase?
Metabase starts at $100/mo and Evidence at $2500/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.
Do Evidence and Metabase have a free plan?
Yes, both Evidence and Metabase have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.
Which is better for small businesses, Evidence or Metabase?
Metabase lists small businesses as a core audience, while Evidence is aimed more at developers.